Montgomery Farmer’s Market will celebrate National Farmer’s Market Week today, which is Aug. 2-8.
Montgomery’s Farmer’s Market started this year’s Power of Produce or “POP” Club on July 14 and it will run this week as well. It is a program sponsored by Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) and the Knights of Columbus #1573 that gives kids, who come to the market and register with their parents, $5.00 to use on participating stands for fresh produce.
Monday, Aug. 3 – BBQ chicken breast, scalloped potatoes, green peas, wheat bread with margarine, brownie, and milk.
Tuesday, Aug. 4 – Diced turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, whole kernel corn, diced peach cup, dinner roll with margarine, and milk.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – Meatloaf, baked potato with sour cream and margarine, broccoli, applesauce cup, wheat bread, and milk.
Thursday, Aug. 6 – Turkey Tetrazzini, sliced carrots, peach crisp, dinner roll with margarine, and milk.
Montgomery’s 2024 Kolacky Days Queen Neysa Anderson was crowned as a 2027 Minneapolis Aquatennial Princess this past week. She is the second only from Kolacky Days royalty to enter into the candidacy for potential honor and first to be crowned. Anna Franek in 2019 was the only other Kolacky Royalty to try.
Anderson joins 2025 Anoka Ambassador Sydney DeRung, who is the other princess, and the prize title 2027 Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, which was won by 2024-2025 Miss Sibley County Maryn Halverson.
The Miss Czech Slovak Minnesota Pageant is looking for queen and junior ambassador candidates for its 37th annual event.
If you are of Czech or Slovak decent and live within Minnesota, and are between the ages of 12-15 for junior ambassadors or between ages 16-23 for queen by Aug.1, you can apply through their website at missczechslovakminnesotapageant.com.
The applications are due by Aug. 1 and a contestant meeting will be held on Aug. 9. The pageant will be held at the Park Ballroom in New Prague after the Dožínky Days on Sept. 19.
A packed, electric crowd turned out at Memorial Field to celebrate Kolacky Days Night on Wednesday, July 22, but defensive miscues and early quiet bats dampened the hometown festivities as the Montgomery Mallards fell 8-2 to the Veseli Warriors.
The Mallards also played the Webster Sox on Monday, July 27, but details of the game were not available before the Messenger went to press
Montgomery’s 92nd Kolacky Day’s Grand Day Parade will commence at noon on Sunday, July 26, with about 100 units. This is down slightly from last year’s 110 units.
The parade will start at Vine Avenue West and 3rd Street Northwest at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, travel south to Oak Avenue Southwest where it will go east two blocks by the Montgomery Public Library to go north on 1st Street South until it meets up with Boulevard Avenue Northwest to travel one block west, terminating at the city’s public works lot.
The Kolacky Days royalty has been crowned for the 92nd annual festival.
Friday's pageant at Tri-City United High School's performing arts center gave way to the next set of representatives of the city of Montgomery. Allison Rynda was chosen as the 2026 Kolacky Days Queen, Aubrie Barnett as 1st Princess, Raena Wiess as 2nd Princess, and Aubrey Flicek as Miss Congeniality.
Kolacky Days in Montgomery being one of the longer running festivals has instituted two opportunities for youth to help continue the tradition.
This year’s six Kolacky Queen candidates brought six Little Sisters to the table: Ella Shimota, daughter of Kara Shimota; Hattie Birdsell, daughter of Jason and Hilary Birdsell; Mya Goettl, daughter of Steve and Melissa Goettl; Sylvie Prochaska, daughter of Tyler and Sarah Prochaska; Charlotte Norgren, daughter of Paul and Catherine Norgren; and Sawyer Stasney, daughter of Pete and Colleen Stasney.
This is your comprehensive list of Kolacky Days eats! Look for the new vendor and/or food choices that are indicated in blue.
The Royal Table Dinner at the Revival on Main, with current candidates and 2025 royalty, gets a menu overall to a pulled pork sandwich. While you won’t be able to get that fix of a “Czech Happy Meal” with the pork loin, the Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota Pageant has what is arguably even better in Memorial Park with their “Czech Meal Deal,” substituting pork loin for jiternice or a polish sausage instead.
While many people may have an idea that Kolacky Days is one of the oldest Minnesota festivals around, does anyone really know?
This question set forward an adventure to try and find the answer to both how old is the oldest festival in Minnesota and where does Kolacky Days actually lie on that spectrum. This then put forth further question of where does it lie on the spectrum of kolacky and Czech heritage-related festival in the United States.
Kids from around the area gathered at Tri-City United PreK-8 Montgomery and Le Center schools last Thursday, July 16, for a quick lesson in science and theories on dinosaurs from Jason Lindsey.
Montgomery City Council approved the purchase and construction of a new playground on Monday to replace the aging one in Memorial Park. The playground is over 20 years old and is rusting with some parts not functional, such as a slide that was boarded up and removed last year because it was not safe.
The budget that was set forth for the new playground was $275,000 from the park improvement fund, and the city had applied for a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant, but was unsuccessful in receiving the grant to reduce the city’s burden.
SAIL Fitness Class
Catholic Charities for Southern Minnesota’s Stay Active for Independent Living (SAIL) fitness class for ages 55+. M&Th, 9-10 a.m., except holidays, at Center Stage Dance in Montgomery. No registration, just show up. Free.
Through Sept. 19 — Genealogy & Research Center
The Le Sueur County Historical Society Genealogy and Research Center, 301 NE 2nd St, Elysian, is open F/SA, 1-4 p.m., through Sept. 19.
We often hear about history of the early settlers of this area, the Big Woods region, referring to our European ancestors that moved into the area in the 1800’s to start farmsteads and businesses in what was thought to be open wilderness.
Those early settlers infiltrated Native American lands though, changing the landscape and dialog about history forever — often omitting or minimizing that we had occupied and taken lands where these natives resided.